Bradley set for early Valley test

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA — Considering the funk the Bradley men’s basketball team is in, the McLeod Center on Northern Iowa’s campus is one of the last places the Braves would choose to open the Missouri Valley Conference season.

BU (5-8), which has lost six in a row and 20 consecutively west of the Mississippi River, also has a six-game skid going at UNI, where they begin league play at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

At 6-6, this Northern Iowa team, which is breaking in several new players, hasn’t been as strong as usual thus far this season. With good reason.

UNI boasts the toughest nonconference schedule strength in the Valley at No. 36 nationally. Bradley is second, at No. 127.

Road games at Ohio, George Mason, Milwaukee, Iowa State and Virginia, neutrals vs. Maryland and LaSalle and home contests against VCU and Iona haven’t exactly provided easy sledding for the Panthers.

“We’ve been a little better the last four or five games,” UNI coach Ben Jacobson said. “We’ve been more consistent. The development of some of our new guys — guys like Wes Washpun, Nate Buss and Jeremy Morgan — has really helped us.”

Like most coaches, Jacobson lists defense, rebounding and turnovers as areas that must get better. Aside from strong man-to-man defense, Northern Iowa’s trademark during its recent run of success (five successive 20-win seasons and postseason bids) has long been prolific 3-point shooting.

And the Panthers are hitting at just a .309 clip this year beyond the arc, eighth in the league.

“This team is built very much like some of ones we’ve had in the past with 2-3 guys who can really shoot the basketball,” Jacobson said. “Matt Bohannon and Chip Rank are our two best 3-point shooters and they haven’t shot it great. But I’m confident they’re going to. That will continue to be a big part of the way we play on offense.”

The good news for Bradley is defending the 3 is one of the few facets in which the Braves have shone. BU leads the Valley by a wide margin, at .282.

“That’s the No. 1 key for us in this game,” BU coach Geno Ford said. “We’ve gotten to shooters fairly well with our length, athleticism and speed. But Northern Iowa will put four and sometimes, all five guys out beyond the arc.

“When they’re hitting shots like they did the other day (making 12 3-pointers in the win over Iona), they’re a load. We can’t let it turn into that kind of game. We have to have a lot of help (defense) and we have to shot challenge.”

Page 2 of 2 - Jacobson likened Bradley’s roster to his own, with a bunch of new players jelling with a few returners.

“Bradley’s really good in transition yet they run really good stuff in the halfcourt if they don’t get transition,” he said. “We have to make sure we’re set on defense and defend the ball screen. We’ve got to find a way to keep Walt (Lemon) in front of us.”

Bradley has to find a way to keep Lemon playing under control in the crunch time of games. That goes hand in hand with his teammates stepping up at those important times.

“The bottom line is we’re not a very confident group right now,” Ford said. “While we’ve played well at times, we haven’t made winning plays at the end of games. We have to find a way to win a game or two so the guys can look at themselves in the mirror with some confidence.”

Backup center Jordan Prosser, who’s missed the past two games with a sprained left knee, has been practicing this week, but isn’t near 100 percent.

“He doesn’t have his bounce back at all,” Ford said. “It’s probably 60-40 that he’ll play.”

The BU coach, who gave Nate Wells and Jordan Swopshire their first career starts Saturday against South Florida, wouldn’t reveal his lineup thinking. He said he’d have a better idea following the Braves’ practice at McLeod on Tuesday night.

“We don’t really have a usual group right now,” he said. “We’ll let it sort itself out in practice. Swop and Nate sparked us the other day. Those guys will play. They deserve another opportunity.”

Dave Reynolds can be reached at 686-3210 or dreynolds@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @davereynolds2.